Favorite Quote

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel,
read only one page." St. Augustine of Hippo

Monday, March 25, 2013

Places to Eat in Rome



Ok Bill (Lucky1950), this one is for you.  :)  I've been SO busy planning for our next cruise, we've had company for almost a month, and now it's time to pack for the cruise.  But Bill has been patiently waiting for this post so even though I'm in the middle of a different one, I'll get this one out of the way.

While we were in Rome we did the Rome Walking Food Tour.  First, this tour was SO amazing that we are taking our moms on the same tour, with the same guide (Sarah Rose) next month.  At the end of the tour, we were given a Rome Food Lovers Guide.  It listed places to try, along with their specialties.  I don't have time to show pictures right now for the places we ate, but I'm going to list them here.  I asked Sarah Rose if the people had paid to have their information listed on the page and she said no.  These are the favorite places from the Eating in Italy people.

I'm just going down the page so these are not in order of best restaurant. They are in order of area of Rome.  If it's someplace we have eaten, I'll let you know.  The sheet does not say what the range is for the € they show, but as you can guess, the more € you see, the more expensive it is.  And I think it's in comparison to places of its type.  For example, there are Gelaterias with € and €€.  I don't think the €€ Gelateria (gelato) costs as much as a €€ dinner. 

CAMPO DEI FIORI

Renato E Luisa  €€€  Wonderful Roman restaurant - love their saltimbocca (veal, sage prosciutto).  Phone - 06-686-9660.  Only Dinner - closed Mondays.  Via dei Barbieri 25

Il Goccetto €€€€  Release your inner sommelier - they have an exceptional aperitivo (pre-dinner drink accompanied by finger foods).  Phone - 06-686-4413  Open 12 -3 pm, 6:30 pm - 2 am.  Closed Sunday.  Via dei Banchi Vecchi 14

Roscioli €€€€  Super hip restaurant meets gourmet deli - fabulous food with a remarkable wine list in a funky setting.  Phone 06-658-5287  Closed Sunday.  Via dei Giubbonari 21-22

Forno Campo de Fiori € Maybe the most famous pizza bianca in Rome and in our opinion the best.  Phone 06-688-06662  Closed Sunday.  Campo de' Fiori 22

Gelateria Corona € The gelato is fabulous but the granita (Sicilian flavored ice) is worth a special trip.  We did stop here and loved the Gelato!  The gentleman was wonderful and kept giving us samples of all of his favorite ones ....even when we were NOT asking for samples. Closed Monday.  Largo Arenula 27 (no phone number listed)

COLOSSEUM

Il Tempio Di Iside €€€€ Excellent fish restaurant.  Try the swordfish agnoletti (like ravioli) or any grilled fish.  Phone 06-700-4741  Closed Sunday.  Via Verri 11

ESQUILINO

Trattoria da Danilo €€ One of the best family-run Roman trattorias in town, recently voted the number #1 Carbonara in all of Rome!  We DID eat here and really enjoyed it.  I know in the reviews it says that they stuck the English speakers down in the basement but this was not true for us.  We sat upstairs with one other English speaking couple and everyone else was Italian.  Here is my review on Trip Advisor for it: Review  Our hotel did call and make a reservation for us and it was packed.  It's right next to an Italian police station.  Phone 06-772-00111  Closed Mon lunch & Sun.  Via Petrarca 13

ESQUILINO/MONTI

L Asino d' Oro €€€  Creative Umbrian kitchen - the wild boar in chocolate sauce is divine!  Phone 06-489-13832 Closed Monday and Sun dinner.  Via Boschetto 73

JEWISH GHETTO

Nonna Betta  €€ Fabulous Jewish Roman fare.  Order the fried artichokes in season. Phone  06-688-06263 Closed Saturday.  Via del Portico d'Ottavia 16

Forno Boccione €€ Jewish bakery - try the ricotta cheesecake with sour cherries, but it sells out by noon.  Phone 06-687-8657  Closed Saturday.  Via del Portico d'Ottavia 1

Beppe e I Suoi Formaggi €€€ Get your cameras out and say CHEESE!!!! Wall to wall goat, sheep and cow's milk cheese from all over Italy.  Phone 06-6819-2210 Closed Sunday afternoon & Monday.  Via S. Maria d. Pianto 9A/11

MONTI

Trattoria Monti  €€€ From Le Marche region, for fresh pasta this is the place.  The duck is wonderful too.  Phone 06-446-6573  Closed Monday and Sunday dinner.  Via San Vito 13

Panella  €€ Jewelry shop meets pastry shop where you can indulge in edible works of art. Phone 06-487-2344 Closed Thursday afternoon - Via Merulana 54

Gelateria Fatamorgana  €€ The newest location from one of Rome's best artisanal gelato makers.  Try the wide variety of Zabaione (eggnog).  Phone 06-489-06955  1pm - 12 am, Closed Monday, Via degli Zingari 5

PANTHEON

Armando al Pantheon €€ Family owned institution - any of the Roman pasta dishes are superb - try the Gricia (Gricia is a simple dish of pasta dressed with two products largely common in the countryside around Rome: Guanciale, a type of bacon made from the cheek of pork, and Pecorino, a very tasty sheeps cheese).  Phone 06-688-03034 Closed Saturday dinner and Sunday.  Salita Dei Crescenzi 31

Il Gelato di San Crispino  € Gelateria featured in the movie Eat Pray Love.  The ginger and cinnamon is a life-changing experience all by itself.  Phone 06-688-91310  Closed Tuesday Autumn & Winter.  Piazza della Maddalena 3.

PIAZZO NAVONA
 
Pizzeria da Baffetto   € Always long lines at this Roman style pizza institution so arrive early.  We did eat here and we LOVED it.  We were told that pizza actually came from Naples and Rome only started making it after WWII when soldiers came looking for it.  But the people in Rome were pretty poor so they made the crust really thin to make it stretch.  If you are looking for a thick crust pizza, don't go here.  If you are looking for a traditional "ROMAN" pizza, then this is the place for you.  The crust is thin!  We sat right where we could watch them making the pizza and that was a lot of fun too.  Mostly Italians here.  Phone 06-686-1617  Via del Governo Vecchio 114

Gelateria del Teatro ai Coronari € Favorite flavors include chocolate with red wine and any of their peach varieties.  Phone 06-454-74880 Via di San Simone 70

TRASTEVERE

Spirito Di Vino  € Was a 10th century synagogue - their wine cellar is older than the Colosseum and the food is exceptional.  Phone 06-589-6689 Closed Sunday and Saturday Lunch.  Via dei Genovesi 31

Roma Sparita € The specialty is cacio e pepe (tonrarelli pasta, pecorino & pepper) served in a parmesan bowl.  We tried to go here but you HAVE to have a reservation.  I can't remember if this is the place that Anthony Bourdain went to on the Layover but I know I saw him show cacio e pepe in a parmesan bowl and I really want to try it.  It looked incredible.  Phone 06-580-0757  Closed Monday.  Piazza di Santa Cecila 24

Osteria Da Zi' Umberto€ As roman as it gets ... great food served with a little bit of attitude!  Try the sauteed mussels, you won't regret it!  Phone 06-581-6646  12:30 pm - 3:00 pm, 7:30 pm - 11 pm  Closed Monday  Piazza S. Giovanni d. Malva 14

Biscottificio Artigiano Innocenti A selection of 70 types of cookies (biscotti) baked fresh daily out of an 8 ft. oven.  I could not find a link on Trip Advisor for this place so instead you got a link to 6 sweet treats in Rome.  We did eat cannoli at Ciuri Ciuri and we had gelato at Giolitti.  Both are excellent recommendations!  Phone 06-580-3926  Monday - Saturday 8-8.  Sunday 8-2; Via delle Luce, 21

Fior di Luna € Gelateria located right in the heart of Trastevere.  There will be a line for sure, but it's wroth it. Closed Monday, Via della Lungaretta 96

Pizzeria Ai Marmi € Known as "the morgue" due to the marble tables, just eating here makes you feel more Roman.  Phone 06-5800919 Closed Wednesdays, Viale Trastevere 53

VATICAN

Pizzarium  € Most famous pizza al taglio (by the slice) in Rome - right outside Metro Cipro.  Phone 06-397-45416 Closed Sunday, Via della Meloria 43, Cipro Metro

L Arcangelo €€€ Taste the suppli (Supplì are Italian snacks consisting of a ball of rice - generally risotto - with or without (Suppli' in bianco) tomato sauce and raw egg around a piece of mozzarella; the whole morsel is soaked in egg and coated with breadcrumbs and then fried usually deep fried. The dish is native to Rome from the region of Lazio in Italy) and the gnocchi all'amatriciana (Sugo all'amatriciana is a traditional Italian pasta sauce based on guanciale -cured pork cheek -, pecorino cheese, and tomato. Originating from the town of Amatrice, the Amatriciana is one of the most well-known pasta sauces in Roman and Italian cuisine.)  Phone 06-321-0992  Only dinner.  Closed Sunday.  Via Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli 59/61

That's it for the Food Lover's Guide.  We loved the places that we tried and I bet that they are all just as good.  We do have other places that we went to, but I'm just not going to have time to get those up before we leave.

Enjoy!